The US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released stunning image of dusty spiral galaxy named NGC 4414. The image was captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope as part of its HST Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale in 1995.
The Hubble Space Telescope which launched in 1990 changed the fundamental understanding of the universe right from determining the atmospheric composition of planets around other stars to discovering dark energy.
Coming back to the dusty spiral galaxy, NASA Hubble states, “Based on careful brightness measurements of variable stars (stars that fluctuate in brightness) in NGC 4414, astronomers determined the galaxy is 60 million light-years away.”
“This information helped scientists understand more about the rate of the expansion of our universe, and teaches us more about the distance and size of many cosmic objects, and even the age of the universe itself,” it added.
Speaking of the image shared by NSA Hubble, NGC 4414 is a spiral galaxy notable for its distinct stellar composition across its different regions. Within its central areas, there is an abundance of yellow and red stars, a characteristic often associated with older stellar populations commonly found in spiral galaxies.
On the outer areas, NGC 4414 exhibit a bluer hue. This bluish coloration suggests the presence of younger, hotter stars, indicating ongoing star formation in these regions, NASA says. The image shared by NASA portrays NGC 4414 as a grand spiral galaxy with a luminous yellow core and sprawling spiral arms adorned with dark brown dust and clusters of stars.
AS per NASA Hubble, as the galaxy’s size exceeded the capacity of the WFPC2 detectors, only half of NGC 4414 was visible in the datasets collected by the Key Project astronomers in 1995. However, in 1999, the Hubble Heritage Team revisited NGC 4414 and filled in the missing portion of its portrait by observing the other half using the same filters utilized in 1995.
3.6 Crore Indians visited in a single day choosing us as India’s undisputed platform for General Election Results. Explore the latest updates here!
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More
Less
Published: 12 Jun 2024, 07:16 AM IST